Author Topic: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"  (Read 19857 times)

Offline MysteRy

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #75 on: April 12, 2014, 09:44:30 AM »
Standby

When electronic devices are receiving power but are not running, they are in standby mode. For example, a television is in standby mode when it is plugged in, but turned off. While the TV is not "on," it is ready to receive a signal from the remote control. An A/V receiver is also in standby mode when it is plugged in and turned off. This is because the receiver may be activated by receiving input from a connected device or by being turned on directly with the remote control. In other words, these devices are "standing by," waiting to receive input from the user or another device.

When a computer is in standby mode, it is not completely turned off. Instead, it has already been turned on, but has gone into "sleep" mode. Therefore, when referring to computers, "Sleep" and "Standby" may be used synonymously. A computer in standby mode requires a small amount of current, called a "trickle charge," that keeps the current state of running software saved in the computer's RAM. However, because the computer is in sleep mode, the CPU, video card, and hard drive are not running. Therefore, the computer uses very little power in standby mode.

Since standby mode saves energy, it is a good idea to put your computer to sleep if you are going to be away from it for more than 15 or 20 minutes. You can also use the Power Options control panel (in Windows) or the Energy Saver System Preference (in Mac OS X) to automatically put your computer to sleep after it has been inactive for a specific amount of time. Then, when you take a break from your computer, your computer can take a break as well.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #76 on: April 12, 2014, 09:45:02 AM »
Static Website

Example: "The graphic designer created a simple static website with information about her company."

A static website contains Web pages coded in HTML. The content of each page is fixed and does not change unless it is edited and republished by the webmaster. Static websites are usually small and only contain a few brochure-style Web pages. Large sites are typically designed as dynamic websites, since they are easier to maintai

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #77 on: April 12, 2014, 09:45:33 AM »
Status Bar

A status bar is a small area at the bottom of a window. It is used by some applications to display helpful information for the user. For example, an open folder window on the desktop may display the number of items in the folder and how many items are selected. Photoshop uses the status bar to display the size of the current image, the zoom percentage, and other information. Web browsers use the status bar to display the Web address of a link when the user moves the cursor over it. It also shows the status of loading pages, and displays error messages.

If you don't see the status bar in your Web browser or another program, you may be able to enable it by selecting "Show Status Bar" from the application's View menu. If this option is not available in the View menu, the program may not use a status bar. Some programs use a "status window" instead to show the current activity in the application. The option for displaying this window is usually found in the "Window" menu.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #78 on: April 12, 2014, 09:46:02 AM »
Storage Capacity

Example: "If you have a lot of media files, it is important to have a computer with a large storage capacity."

Storage capacity is another term for "disk space." It measures how much data a computer system may contain. For example, a computer with two 750GB hard drives has a storage capacity of 1.5TB. Storage capacity is commonly included in the technical specifications of a system, along with processing power and memory. It is possible to increase the storage capacity of most systems by adding additional internal or external hard drives.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #79 on: April 12, 2014, 09:46:34 AM »
Storage Device

A computer storage device is any type of hardware that stores data. The most common type of storage device, which nearly all computers have, is a hard drive. The computer's primary hard drive stores the operating system, applications, and files and folders for users of the computer.

While the hard drive is the most ubiquitous of all storage devices, several other types are common as well. Flash memory devices, such as USB keychain drives and iPod nanos are popular ways to store data in a small, mobile format. Other types of flash memory, such as compact flash and SD cards are popular ways to store images taken by digital cameras.

External hard drives that connect via Firewire and USB are also common. These types of drives are often used for backing up internal hard drives, storing video or photo libraries, or for simply adding extra storage. Finally, tape drives, which use reels of tape to store data, are another type of storage device and are typically used for backing up data.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #80 on: April 12, 2014, 09:47:03 AM »
Streaming

Data streaming, commonly seen in the forms of audio and video streaming, is when a multimedia file can be played back without being completely downloaded first. Most files, like shareware and software updates that you download off the Internet, are not streaming data. However, certain audio and video files like Real Audio and QuickTime documents can be streaming files, meaning you can watch a video or listen to a sound file while it's being downloaded to your computer. With a fast Internet connection, you can actually stream live audio or video to your computer.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #81 on: April 12, 2014, 09:47:39 AM »
String

A string is a data type used in programming, such as an integer and floating point unit, but is used to represent text rather than numbers. It is comprised of a set of characters that can also contain spaces and numbers. For example, the word "hamburger" and the phrase "I ate 3 hamburgers" are both strings. Even "12345" could be considered a string, if specified correctly. Typically, programmers must enclose strings in quotation marks for the data to recognized as a string and not a number or variable name.

For example, in the comparison:

if (Option1 == Option2) then ...

Option1 and Option2 may be variables containing integers, strings, or other data. If the values are the same, the test returns a value of true, otherwise the result is false. In the comparison:

if ("Option1" == "Option2") then ...

Option1 and Option2 are being treated as strings. Therefore the test is comparing the words "Option1" and "Option2," which would return false. The length of a string is often determined by using a null character.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #82 on: April 12, 2014, 09:48:08 AM »
Subdirectory

Example: "In Mac OS X, the Utilities folder is a subdirectory of the Applications folder."

A subdirectory, or subfolder, is a folder that is nested within another folder. Subdirectories are used to organize files and folders, which makes it easy to navigate to different files stored on a computer. While each operating system creates its own series of predefined subdirectories, you can also create new folders, which can be used to organize data in whatever way makes sense to you.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #83 on: April 12, 2014, 09:48:44 AM »
Subnet Mask

A subnet mask is a number that defines a range of IP addresses that can be used in a network. (It is not something you wear on your head to keep subnets out.) Subnet masks are used to designate subnetworks, or subnets, which are typically local networks LANs that are connected to the Internet. Systems within the same subnet can communicate directly with each other, while systems on different subnets must communicate through a router. Therefore, subnetworks can be used to partition multiple networks and limit the traffic between them.

A subnet mask hides, or "masks," the network part of a system's IP address and leaves only the host part as the machine identifier. A common subnet mask for a Class C IP address is 255.255.255.0. Each section of the subnet mask can contain a number from 0 to 256, just like an IP address. Therefore, in the example above, the first three sections are full, meaning the IP addresses of computers within the subnet mask must be identical in the first three sections. The last section of each computer's IP address can be anything from 0 to 255. For example, the IP addresses 10.0.1.201 and 10.0.1.202 would be in the same subnet, while 10.0.2.201 would not. Therefore, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 allows for close to 256 unique hosts within the network (since not all 256 IP addresses can be used).

If your system is connected to a network, you can typically view the network's subnet mask number in the Network control panel (Windows) or System Preference (Mac OS X). Most home networks use the default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. However, some office networks may use a different subnet mask such as 255.255.255.128, which can be used to split a network into two subnets. Large networks with several thousand machines may use a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. This is the default subnet mask used by Class B networks. The largest Class A networks use a default subnet mask of 255.0.0.0.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #84 on: April 12, 2014, 09:49:19 AM »
Supercomputer

Example: "Examples of recent supercomputers include the NEC Earth Simulator and the IBM Roadrunner."

A supercomputer is a high-powered computer system that has processing capabilities far greater than a typical workstation. It may be designed for a specific application, such as simulation modeling or scientific research, or may simply be created to showcase the latest computing technology. A supercomputer may be a built as a single machine or may consist of a cluster of computers that process data in tandem. Because supercomputers are extremely expensive to build and maintain, only a few dozen have been built in the past few decades.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #85 on: April 12, 2014, 09:49:46 AM »
Superscalar

A superscalar CPU can execute more than one instruction per clock cycle. Because processing speeds are measured in clock cycles per second (megahertz), a superscalar processor will be faster than a scalar processor rated at the same megahertz.

A superscalar architecture includes parallel execution units, which can execute instructions simultaneously. This parallel architecture was first implemented in RISC processors, which use short and simple instructions to perform calculations. Because of their superscalar capabilities, RISC processors have typically performed better than CISC processors running at the same megahertz. However, most CISC-based processors (such as the Intel Pentium) now include some RISC architecture as well, which enables them to execute instructions in parallel. Nearly all processors developed after 1998 are superscalar.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #86 on: April 12, 2014, 09:50:26 AM »
Surge Protector

The surge protector is an important, yet often overlooked part of a computer setup. It allows multiple devices to plugged in to it at one time and protects each connected device from power surges. For example, a home office may have a computer, monitor, printer, cable modem, and powered speakers all plugged into one surge protector, which is plugged into a single outlet in the wall. The surge protector allows many devices to use one outlet, while protecting each of them from electrical surges.

Surge protectors, sometimes called power strips, prevent surges in electrical current by sending the excess current to the grounding wire (which is the round part of the plug below the two flat metal pieces on U.S. outlet plugs). If the surge is extra high, such as from a lightning strike, a fuse in the surge protector will blow and the current will prevented from reaching any of the devices plugged into the surge protector. This means the noble surge protector will have given its life for the rest of the equipment, since the fuse is destroyed in the process.

While surge protectors all perform the same basic function, they come in many shapes and sizes with different levels of protection. Some may look like basic power strips, while others may be rack mounted or fit directly against the wall. Most surge protectors offer six to ten different outlets. Cheaper surge protectors offer limited protection for surges (under 1000 joules), while more expensive ones offer protection for several thousand joules and include a monetary guarantee on connected devices if a power surge happens. Typically, you get what you pay for, so if you have an expensive computer system, it is wise to buy a quality surge protector that offers at least 1000 joules of protection.

Some surge protectors also include line conditioning, which uses an electromagnet to maintain a consistent level of electricity when there are slight variations in current. For example, you might notice your computer monitor or television fade for a moment when you turn on a high-powered device, like a vacuum or air conditioner. A surge protector with line conditioning should prevent connected devices from being affected by these slight variances in current.

While you may be able to hook up your computer system without a surge protector, it is important to protect your equipment by using one. You may not need a large, expensive surge protector with line conditioning, but using a quality surge protector for all your electronic devices is a smart choice.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #87 on: April 12, 2014, 09:50:58 AM »
Switch

A switch is used to network multiple computers together. Switches made for the consumer market are typically small, flat boxes with 4 to 8 Ethernet ports. These ports can connect to computers, cable or DSL modems, and other switches. High-end switches can have more than 50 ports and often are rack mounted.

Switches are more advanced than hubs and less capable than routers. Unlike hubs, switches can limit the traffic to and from each port so that each device connected to the switch has a sufficient amount of bandwidth. For this reason, you can think of a switch as a "smart hub." However, switches don't provide the firewall and logging capabilities that routers do. Routers can often be configured by software (typically via a Web interface), while switches only work the way the hardware was designed.

The term "switch" can also be used to refer to a small lever or button on computer hardware. And while it has nothing to do with computers, "riding switch" means riding backwards in skateboarding and snowboarding.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #88 on: April 12, 2014, 09:51:27 AM »
Sync

Example: "He makes sure to sync his cell phone with his computer at least once a week."

When you "sync" a device, you synchronize it with your computer. Syncing is commonly done with iPods, PDAs, cell phones, and other electronic devices. The syncing process is also called "merging" the data because it copies the most recently entered information to each device. Therefore, when a device is synced with a computer, typically both the device and the computer are updated.

Syncing may also refer to merging the data on two or more computer systems, which is often done over a network.

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Re: Computer Terms Beginning with "S"
« Reply #89 on: April 12, 2014, 09:52:02 AM »
Syntax

Each spoken language has a general set of rules for how words and sentences should be structured. These rules are collectively known as the language syntax. In computer programming languages, syntax serves the same purpose, defining how declarations, functions, commands, and other statements should be arranged.

Each computer programming language uses a different syntax. Many languages share similar syntax rules, while others have a very unique syntax design. For example, C and Java use a highly similar syntax, while Perl has many characteristics that are not seen in either the C or Java languages.

Regardless of the rules, a program's source code must have the correct syntax in order to compile correctly and be made into a program. In fact, it must have the exact right syntax, or the program will fail to compile and produce a "syntax error." A syntax error can be as simple as a missing parenthesis or a forgotten semicolon at the end of a statement. Even these small errors will keep the source code from compiling.

Fortunately, most software development programs include a debugger, which helps find the exact location of syntax errors within the source code. Imagine a program that has over ten thousand lines of code and a syntax error is caused by one missing semicolon. Finding a needle in a haystack would be preferred over manually locating the error. Needless to say, the debugger makes the debugging process much easier for the programmer.